Participant 18

Guiding Questions:

What are your initial thoughts about the concept of Literacy with ICT (LwICT)?

• This has been a well though out and designed continuum
• I appreciate the department spending the time and effort to break down its goals with the senior year teachers around this continuum
• This time and effort ensures a lack of misunderstanding and the resulting resistance to this continuum
• I especially appreciate that the department has openly admitted that they have a "blank slate" with regards to the look and feel of the implementation and extension of this continuum in the senior years
• I want to reiterate how important I feel it is to now bring new stakeholders to the table to help spread and promote the ideas and pedagogy behind this continuum (i.e. post-secondary institutions and industry)
• A lot of work needs to be done and change will be slow and painful, but I believe it is certainly a step in the right direction

What implementation barriers for LwICT do you foresee at Senior Years?

• Teachers - who are stuck in several comfort zones and teachers stuck in situations that require them to make a decision
• The comfort zones are the 'old' way they did things that they feel is the 'right' way
• That being said, the teachers need to evaluate who that 'right' way is being done for: the students, the audience, or them!
• The decision that teachers may have to make which could stand as a barrier is some of the restraints they are under in terms of curriculum, time demands, etc. that may have them fall back into the comfort zone and be afraid to step into 'new' ways

What opportunities does LwICT present for Senior Years?

• To be a better teacher!
• And, to hopefully share the vision for the other teachers in my department, school, and school division
• To 'up my game' in the classroom and keep myself always diligent about challenging myself to bring the ideas of LwICT
• To challenge the department to do a better job (we can always do better)

What professional learning is required initially to prepare Senior Years teachers to begin to use the LwICT continuum?

• Train some trainers!
• The sessions and discussions happening today should to some extent happen with ALL senior years teachers
• This is operationally difficult (if not impossible), so some training could occur to bring this to the division level, or even the school level
• Keep the sessions active, and keep the stakeholders involved (including possible student involvment at some level)

What types of ICT do you currently have in your Senior Years classroom?

• Computers, cameras, wikis, webpages, blogs, texting, instant feedbak devices, and others I cannot recall
• Professional software and open source

What types of ICT are available to you in your school, but not in your classroom?

• None for me (I push to get it if someone in my school has it, but I don't)
• That being said there is a long list of ICT resources I want but don't have (for various reasons)

What subjects and grades do you teach and how do you currently use ICT to enhance student learning?

• Math (grades 9-10)
  • Some computer use, including software
  • Teaching career connections found through internet usage
  • Challenging pre-concieved math biases (like "I'm never goig to need to know this in the real world") using internet based projects
• Computer Science 20S, 30S, 40S
• Computer Science 30S & 40S - Internation Baccelaureate (both standard and higher level - i.e. University credits)
  • Several curriculum based methods and more pedigoical methods (like challenging internet sources, etc)
• Design Technology (grades 9-12)
  • Same as Computer Science
• Digital Photography